Ashes, Ashes, All Fall Down
Author: Orrymain
Category: Pre-Slash, Drama, Missing Scene/Epilogue
Pairing: Jack/Daniel ... and it's all J/D
Rating: PG-13
Season: 1 - April 18-22, 1998
Spoilers: Enigma
Size: 77kb
Written: November 26-28,30, December 3,6-7,10,13,23, 2007
Summary: SG-1 meet the Tollan, and it's up to the flagship team
to prevent the alien race from being taken prisoner by the NID.
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers -- not mine, wish they were,
especially Daniel, and Jack, too, but they aren't. A gal can
dream though!
Notes:
1) Silent, unspoken thoughts by various characters are indicated with ~
in front and behind them, such as ~Where am I?~
2) This fic stands alone, but it does reference my other fic(s), “Mr.
Jealousy's Debut”
3) Thanks to my betas who always make my fics better: Tonya, Jo,
Sara, Linda, Melissa, Carol, Claudia!
Ashes, Ashes, All Fall Down
by Orrymain
Jack and Daniel had just come through a rough patch in their
friendship, one caused by the debut appearance of the older man's Mr.
Jealousy. Jack was in love with Daniel and had become jealous
when he thought the younger man was engaged in a relationship with Sam.
Since Daniel had no clue that Jack was in love with him, he'd been
confused by his friend's anger and had assumed Jack was just tiring of
being around him. Consequently, he'd been really pleased when
Jack had reluctantly confessed that he was jealous of the time Daniel
had been spending with their other friends and that he had really
missed spending time with Daniel.
Likewise, Jack had been relieved to discover that Daniel had simply
helping Janet Fraiser's new charge, the alien redhead, Cassandra,
settle in to life on Earth.
Now, the friends had plans to spend their next downtime together, doing
a combination of things each enjoyed, including a hockey game and a
museum exhibit. First, though, they had a mission this morning to
P3X-7763.
As SG-1 was adjusting their gear and firearms while waiting for the
Stargate to engage, Jack spoke sarcastically, “I'll bet there are more
trees.”
“Most of the planets we go to have trees, Sir,” Sam replied.
“Do you not like trees, O'Neill?” Teal'c inquired.
“I love trees; I'd just like to step onto a new planet and see
something else for a change,” Jack replied, looking over as the kawoosh
of the Stargate thundered in the gate room.
“Without trees, we'd be in trouble,” Daniel stated. “Did you know
that a mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as ten
people inhale in a year?”
Jack stared at Daniel in disbelief and then replied wryly, “I'll
remember that if I'm ever on 'Jeopardy'.”
“SG-1, you have a 'go',” Hammond called out over the tannoy from the
control room.
Jack looked up, gave his commander a nod, and then said, “Let's go talk
to the trees.”
With that, the flagship team of the SGC stepped through the Stargate
onto P3X-7763.
“Whoa! None of this was going on when we sent the probe through,”
Sam exclaimed as she took in the sight before them.
The planet was dark and gloomy, and there was debris and destruction
everywhere the team looked.
“What's this stuff in the air?” Daniel questioned, peering at what
looked a little like snowflakes swirling around them as they remained
on the steps by the Stargate.
“Ash,” Teal'c answered.
Daniel wondered how far away the erupting volcano was, but realized it
didn't really matter. Even if it was miles away, the team was
still in incredible danger. After all, Pompeii had been miles
from Vesuvius when it erupted in 79 A.D., and it had still been covered
in eight to ten feet of ash. Similarly, Herculaneum was four
miles from Vesuvius, and yet lava had reached the town in less than
five minutes.
“All right, Daniel. Dial it up; get us out of here,” Jack
ordered. ~Geez, reminds me of that 'Ring Around the Rosey'
game. Wouldn't be healthy, but a kid could really have fun
falling down in this stuff.~
“No argument,” Daniel replied, stepping down and heading for the DHD.
Jack followed, standing by the MALP and checking it for damage.
“Wait a minute,” Daniel called out, moving away from the DHD
slightly. “There's something out there.”
Jack looked over at the younger man, wondering what he'd found.
His question was quickly answered. Over the next few minutes, the
team found several people, barely alive. Others had already died,
apparently from suffocation due to the volcanic ash that was falling in
abundance from one of the volcanoes that was erupting, its orange lava
traveling downward, putting SG-1 in danger.
All of the people SG-1 found had devices attached to their arms that
intrigued Daniel. While the archaeologist remained captivated by
the devices, Sam was shocked when one of the survivors grabbed her arm
and told her not to help them. It was a request she couldn't
honor.
“Daniel, dial!” Jack ordered. “Get us some help.”
Immediately, Daniel sprinted over to the DHD and dialed Earth.
Once connected, Jack explained the situation over the MALP.
“A lot of them are dead, Sir ... suffocation,” Jack stated.
“But a lot of them are alive, too,” Daniel added as he stood by the
colonel.
“We need a medical team STAT,” Jack stated.
“How long do we have, Colonel?” Hammond asked as he saw the ash falling
like rain through the MALP's camera.
“We're not sure, but I don't think we should be here for lunch, or ...
we might be the lunch,” Jack said, looking over his shoulder at the
flaming lava spewing from the volcano.
Within minutes, the Stargate had been shut down and re-engaged from
Earth's side to allow a medical team and supplies to come
through. SG-1 stood back for a moment while the teams checked the
survivors for injuries and helped to revive some of those who were
alive, but unconscious.
~Since we have a second,~ Jack began internally as he stood off to the
right of Daniel a bit. ~I've got to say you look dang sexy
covered in ash. Look how it hits your hair. Okay, so ash
isn't something you'd normally see in a romantic novel, but, dang it,
Daniel, you're dang cute with ash all over you.~ He blinked and
made a face as he began to chastise himself. ~Crap! Can't
afford to think things like that. Get your mind back to business,
O'Neill.~ Seeing to the medical teams, he watched carefully as
they finished their quick exams and motioned they were ready.
Hurriedly, he addressed his archaeologist, ordering, “Daniel, dial.”
Once again, the shaggy-haired man placed his hands over the appropriate
chevrons and then hit the large, red circle at the center of the dial
home device, watching as the thundering blue kawoosh powered its way
forward and then back into the newly created wormhole.
“Colonel!” Sam called out, pointing to another eruption of the volcano.
“*Move!*” Jack shouted, as he practically pushed the first member of
the medical team through the Stargate.
While the flowing lava was still far enough away, the falling ash had
doubled and sparks of the lava were hitting in places that were too
close to the Stargate for comfort.
“Go! Go! Go!” Daniel shouted to the medical personnel in
front of him. Suddenly, he saw something that disturbed
him. “Jack, I think we missed one!”
Jack looked in the direction where the archaeologist was
pointing. Then he looked back at the erupting volcano. They
didn't have time to wait for a medical team to examine the injured
person.
“Go on!” Jack shouted.
“Jack ...”
“I'll get them. Daniel, go!” the colonel ordered.
Daniel walked a bit closer to the Gate, watching to make sure everyone
else went through. He was holding up one survivor and knew his
responsibility was to them, but he had to make sure Jack was
okay. He watched as his friend hurried to a spot to the right of
the Stargate. This survivor was further away than the others and
had only been visible through the dense ash once Daniel happened to
look out in that direction from the platform at the top of the stairs.
Jack picked up the injured alien and hurried to the steps.
“Daniel, follow orders -- go, for crying out loud!”
Daniel turned and helped his charge through the Stargate. Once
down the ramp, another member of the medical staff took over, helping
that survivor, and others, to the infirmary. He flicked his
boonie back and, seeing Jack appear through the event horizon, holding
a victim, felt like maybe he could breathe again.
“You okay?” Daniel called out.
“Yeah,” Jack shouted. ~Dang geek. Could have gotten himself
killed waiting for me.~
Wearily, the colonel sat down at the end of the ramp, his team
nearby. General Hammond walked forward and received a quick
status report and then ordered SG-1 undergo a cautionary medical
examination, after which they'd debrief.
Sam and Teal'c led the way to the infirmary, with Jack and Daniel
following.
“I told you to go,” Jack spoke quietly.
“I guess I didn't hear you,” Daniel lied.
“Selective hearing?” the older man accused.
“Actually, doing as ordered,” the younger man countered.
“You've got to be kidding,” Jack spoke in disbelief.
“I'm supposed to cover your six,” Daniel claimed. “I was just ...
covering.”
“You're supposed to do what I order you to do *when* I order you to do
it,” Jack spoke.
The discussion between the two friends had gotten a bit intense.
They were focused only on each other, almost unaware that anyone else
was close by.
“Jack, I was the one who saw the other victim,” Daniel pointed out.
“Good. We know your eye prescription is correct.”
“I should have gone after them myself.”
“I was closer,” Jack spoke.
“But ...”
“Daniel, you can 'but' all you want, but let's get one thing perfectly
clear,” Jack began.
“Your name is really Nixon?” Daniel smirked, making the connection
between Jack's use of the phrase of 'one thing perfectly clear' with
the former United States president, who was credited with giving the
phrase notoriety.
“Daniel, I'm the leader of this team, and when I give an order ...”
“I'm not in the military, *Colonel*.”
“Believe me, I know!” Jack espoused, shaking his head.
Passing personnel were whispering and looking back at the two men,
wondering what the details of the debate were.
“Look, all I did was wait for you. What's wrong with that?”
Daniel asked.
“What's wrong with that is ...” Jack paused, realizing he'd just bumped
into an airman. “Watch where you're going!” he barked.
“Yes, Sir,” the airman said, saluting the colonel.
“Move!” Jack barked without returning the salute. ~Hate that.~
“Jack, you ran into him,” Daniel pointed out.
“Stick to the subject,” Jack snapped.
“That you need glasses?” the near-sighted archaeologist quipped.
“No, that ... crap, I forgot,” the irritated man groused.
Daniel laughed, “It's okay, Jack. They say the mind is the first
thing to go.”
“Well,” Jack said with hesitation. “Better that than ...” he
paused, looking downward.
“Gawd,” Daniel expressed in embarrassment, blushing and shaking his
head as the two continued on to the infirmary, their banter now more
lighthearted, but still narrowly focused on each other.
====
“You evacuated ten people from an alien planet, Colonel. Doctor
Fraiser says they're all human, and it looks like they're going to
live. This was one hell of a rescue operation,” Hammond reported
when the debriefing began a bit later.
“Thank you, Sir,” Jack acknowledged.
“There were no buildings in the area of any kind?” the major general
questioned.
“No, Sir,” Sam answered. “We don't know how far they walked, but
it looked like they were trying to make it back to the Stargate.”
“What do we know about these devices they were wearing?”
“Well, they all emit low levels of radiation, indicating an operative
energy source, but there's no circuitry, moving parts, or chips.
We've never seen anything like it,” the captain answered.
“I thought at first that they were from a parallel culture, but it
looks like they might be way ahead of us,” Daniel opined.
“We've determined humans on other planets originated here on Earth,
right?” Hammond asked the archaeologist, who was sitting on his left.
“Yes,” Daniel confirmed a bit hesitantly, slowly nodding his head as he
issued his affirmation.
“Then given our present state of technology, could they be ahead of us?”
“Yes. Uh ... we'd be colonizing space right now if it hadn't been
for the Dark Ages. There was a period of over eight hundred years
where science was heresy and anathema. Maybe they didn't have
that setback,” Daniel theorized.
At that point, Hammond was made aware that the spokesperson for the
rescued people wished to talk to them, so the briefing was temporarily
called to a stop as they traipsed up to the infirmary. There,
they met Omoc, who was a little less than thrilled at having been
rescued.
“What is this place?” the alien asked.
“You're on a planet called Earth. These people saved you,”
Hammond stated, referring to SG-1.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Omoc responded.
Surprised, Daniel refuted, “Well, unless I missed something, you're ...
better off here than you were there.”
“There was a rescue transport on the way,” the man claimed.
“Well, half your people were already dead. I don't think it would
have gotten there in time,” Jack asserted.
“Perhaps that's more of a problem for you than it was for us,” Omoc
spoke in a superior tone.
“Beg your pardon?” Jack asked, taking offense at the man's lack of
gratitude.
“I find it unbelievable that anyone so primitive could have deciphered
the Gate system,” Omoc opined arrogantly.
“Did you say primitive?” Jack responded incredulously. ~The Nox
may say we're too young, but at least they're nice about it.~
It quickly became clear that Omoc didn't think much of Earth.
Apparently, the people from his world, Tollan, were acquainted with
both the Jaffa and the Goa'uld, but were not at war with them. As
he listened to Omoc arrogantly dismiss the hospitality that was offered
to him, Jack decided that the Tollan pretty much matched the Goa'uld in
arrogance.
Finally, Omoc stated, “I demand you return everything that you have
taken from us and allow us to go home.”
“Well, it ... it could take a while for those volcanoes to quiet
down. In the meantime, I'm a bit of a culture buff, I'd like to
learn about your history and customs,” Daniel requested politely.
“I've said enough. I'll say no more,” Omoc replied, turning his
face away from the Earthlings.
As the team walked out, Sam looked over at one of the other
survivors. She'd been the one to find him on the planet.
Their eyes locked and held their gaze for several seconds until Sam
went out into the corridor with the others.
“Captain Carter, I want you to monitor the situation on Tollan very
closely. As soon as it's safe there, I want those people gone,”
Hammond stated, irritated by Omoc's dismissal of their offer of
friendship.
“Yes, Sir,” Sam said.
Jack shrugged at the ridiculousness of the situation and then the team
separated to go to their various duties.
“Jack, don't you think that's a little ... strange?”
“Omoc, or his friggin' 'I'm better than you' attitude?” Jack questioned.
“I think he wishes they'd died out there,” Daniel responded.
“I'm thinkin' maybe I agree,” the colonel replied.
Daniel glared at his friend and then said, “We have to find out more
about them.”
“You're welcome to try, Daniel,” Jack said as he slid his key card to
call the elevator. “But I don't think they're going to be very
helpful.”
“We can try.”
“Have fun,” Jack said, a twinkle of sarcasm in his eye as he entered
the elevator and chose his floor.
“Thanks,” Daniel snarked back, watching as the doors closed in front of
him. ~Why would they prefer to die?~
====
Later that night, Daniel sat in his apartment still trying to
understand the attitude of the Tollan. A local news report was
airing on the TV, while his coffee table was covered in several open
books, along with a mug and thermos that was filled with coffee.
On the side of the sofa was a power bar and two Twinkies.
A knock on the door drew the archaeologist's attention from what he was
doing, but only slightly as he called out, “Come in.”
Jack opened the door, looking at it and noticing the locks, none of
which, obviously, had been locked.
“Daniel, don't you ever lock your door?”
“Do you?” the younger man charged, knowing his friend had a habit of
leaving his own home unlocked.
“That's beside the point,” the colonel responded, staring at the TV as
he walked over to the sofa. “The President's still lobbying for
that Chemical Weapons Convention.”
Daniel glanced up briefly and asked, “What?”
“The news,” Jack said, motioning towards the television.
“Oh, uh ... I wasn't listening,” the archaeologist admitted.
“What are you doing?” Jack questioned curiously as he sat down, then
bounced back up, realizing he'd just sat on the power bar and
Twinkies. “Sorry,” he said as he tossed the semi-smashed yellow
treats and the power bar onto the coffee table.
“It's okay,” Daniel said, still a bit distracted.
“What are you doing?” Jack repeated.
“This?” Daniel asked, seeing his friend's glare. “I just thought
I'd read up on volcanoes.”
“You didn't get enough on P3X...uh, whatever?” the colonel challenged
in question.
“P3X-7763,” Daniel completed.
“Hey, how come this planet has a seven-number designation instead of
six?” Jack suddenly asked.
With a clueless shrug, Daniel suggested, “Ask Sam.”
“I did.”
“What'd she say?”
“I don't know. I tuned her out after the first sentence,” Jack
admitted, reaching down and grabbing one of the Twinkies as he prepared
to eat it. “The volcano?” he said, redirecting their conversation.
Daniel stared as Jack downed one of his precious Twinkies, apparently
without remorse.
“It reminded me of Pompeii,” the scientist admitted.
“Mount Vesuvius,” Jack acknowledged.
“Uh, yeah, right,” Daniel said, impressed with his friend. “The
ash and pumice from the eruption buried Pompeii for ... for
seventeen-hundred years before it was rediscovered in 1748.” The
archaeologist went on for another six minutes, talking about the
ancient Roman city and what the excavations had revealed. All the
while, Jack was munching on the archaeologist's goodies. Finally,
he sighed and asked, “Jack, are you listening to me?”
“Sure,” Jack answered. “P3X-whatever reminded you of Pompeii.”
“Right,” the archaeologist responded, shaking his head at his
friend. “Why are you here?”
“Pizza! I'm hungry. Let's go,” Jack said, patting his
friend on the back as he stood up.
“You just ate my ... uh ...” Daniel pointed to the discarded wrappings
of his treats.
“It's Saturday night. We'll take in a movie, too,” the older man
stated.
Letting out a snort, the archaeologist gave in and went out with his
friend for pizza and a movie before returning home to continue his
research for a bit and then go to bed.
====
“What movie did you see?” Sam asked early the next morning while she
and Daniel were eating breakfast in the mess hall.
“'Chasing Amy',” Daniel answered.
Sam nearly spit out her scrambled eggs. She coughed, bringing her
napkin to her mouth.
“You okay?”
“Yes. The colonel went to see 'Chasing Amy'?” Sam questioned,
certain she'd heard incorrectly.
“He thought it was about comic books,” Daniel chuckled.
“Oh,” Sam laughed, though she tried not to. “I'll bet he was
surprised.”
“That wasn't the worst part,” Daniel confided.
“What was?”
“Sergeant Siler was there.”
Sam again brought her napkin to her mouth, bowing her head as she
giggled.
“Did you talk to him?”
“Jack took us out through the side exit. I kept telling him he
was overreacting. I mean, uh, it's just a movie ...”
“... a movie about two guys, living together, one of whom falls for a
lesbian and ...”
“You've seen it.”
“Of course, I have,” Sam answered. “I like Ben Affleck.”
“Was he 'Banky'?”
“No, that was Jason Lee,” Sam responded and then pointing out, “Ben
played 'Holden', the one who fell for 'Alyssa'.”
“Okay,” Daniel said, nodding as he cut away another bite of waffles and
then slid it into his mouth.
“So ...” Sam prompted.
“Oh,” Daniel expressed, swallowing his food. “So, anyway, Jack
was trying to make a quick exit, while I was telling him he was acting
like a lunatic. I mean, why was he acting like that? It
didn't make any sense. He's arguing with me and then, bam.”
“He didn't.”
“He did.”
“Right into him?”
“Jack was walking so fast, that Siler banged right into the truck,”
Daniel laughed. “I thought he might have hurt his ribs.”
“What happened next?”
“Siler said 'hello' and smiled, and Jack glared at him. He just
kinda ... walked away as quickly as he could. I don't think he'll
ever admit to being at that theater last night,” Daniel mused.
“Did you like the movie?” Sam asked.
“It was okay. It was too vulgar, unnecessarily, I thought, but I
was interested in how it dealt with perceptions and how they affect our
lives,” Daniel answered.
“I know what you mean,” Sam agreed. “What about the ending, with
'Holden' and 'Banky'?”
“Well, it was obvious they could still communicate. It was
actually a little ...”
“Daniel, Carter,” Jack said, joining the two in the commissary.
“Hi, Jack.”
“Sir,” Sam said, suddenly laughing.
“What's so funny?” Jack inquired as he stirred his oatmeal.
“Nothing, Sir. If you'll excuse me,” a giggling Sam said as she
got up and walked away.
Jack looked at Daniel suspiciously, but the younger man just shrugged
and continued eating his breakfast.
====
Later that morning, Daniel was in the infirmary, trying to elicit
information from the Tollan. At the moment, he was talking with
one of the men who had been rescued.
“So, why were you still on the planet? I mean, it's obvious that
the rest of your people had already left.”
“Yes,” the man answered. “Your friend, the blonde ...”
“Captain Carter,” Daniel stated. “She's, uh, a doctor of
astrophysics, too.” Taking a breath, he asked, “Was there
something you left behind? Did you come back for a reason?”
“Will she be coming to talk to us?” the alien asked, ignoring Daniel's
question.
“Sam?” Daniel questioned, looking over to where some of the other SGC
personnel were. “I'm ...not sure, but I'll find out.”
====
“Anything?” General Hammond asked when Daniel tapped on the door to his
office.
“Frankly, Sir ... no,” the archaeologist answered. “They're full
of questions, but empty when it comes to answers.”
Hammond studied Daniel carefully, sensing he had something more to add.
“Doctor?”
“Uh, well, there's one of the survivors. He's ... very interested
in Sam, General.”
“You think she'd have more luck?” Hammond asked.
“I'm not getting anywhere.”
“Captain Carter should be in the gate room,” the SGC commander
informed. “Have her come to my office.”
Daniel nodded and let out a yawn just after leaving the other man's
office. He'd stayed up way too late, refreshing his memories
about Pompeii and other infamous volcanic incidents on Earth over the
years. He decided to go by his office before talking to
Sam. There, he filled his mug full of hot coffee. Taking a
sip, he felt revived and then headed out to fulfill his assigned task.
====
Still carrying his cup of coffee in his hand, Daniel entered the gate
room, seeing Sam working on a project.
“New hobby?” the archaeologist asked.
“Neat, huh?” Sam responded, happy with the object. “Miniature UAV
with all the bells and whistles. I'm just adding heat sensors so
I can send it through the Gate to Tollan.”
“Hmm,” Daniel acknowledged. He began to walk around the UAV,
studying it as he talked. “I was just down in the infirmary with
one of the Tollan, trying to get them to talk to us. They only ask
questions; never answer them. As a matter of fact, one of them
was asking a lot of questions about you,” Daniel revealed.
“I thought they weren't interested in us,” Sam responded.
“Ooooh, I didn't say 'us', I said 'you',” Daniel replied as he stopped
just to Sam's right. “General Hammond thinks maybe you'll have
better luck getting some answers.” After a pause, he added, “He'd
like to see you.”
“Okay,” Sam acknowledged, finishing up and then walking out of the room
to meet with General Hammond.
Hammond walked with Sam to the infirmary, formerly introducing her to
the alien, Narim, who was the one she'd locked eyes with both on the
surface of the planet and then again in the infirmary. He was
also the alien Daniel had been talking to who was so inquisitive about
the blonde captain.
General Hammond allowed the captain to take the alien topside, which
was a bit of a surprise and an indication of just how much he wanted
answers from the Tollan. There, Narim thanked her for saving his
life, as well as the others. He asked her to pass it on to the
rest of SG-1, explaining that he wasn't free to thank them himself,
though he never really explained why, except to say that Omoc was only
trying to protect them and really wasn't as harsh as he seemed to
be. Still, somehow, it was Narim who learned more about Earth
than Sam did about Tollan.
====
Later that day, the UAV went through the Stargate, revealing that the
volcano's lava was headed straight for the Gate. The prediction
was that the Stargate on the planet would be buried within two days.
“Captain Carter, you and Doctor Jackson talk to Omoc. Tell him
what we've found out and see if they're willing to talk to us some more
now,” Hammond stated, leaving the control room.
Sam and Daniel exchanged a look and started out, hearing Jack retort,
“Have fun,” as he smiled and looked at Teal'c. “How about a game
of ping pong?”
“Ping pong?”
“I'll show ya,” Jack said, leading a curious Teal'c out of the room.
====
“Are you absolutely certain?” the alien asked after Sam and Daniel had
informed him about their findings.
“Yes. I'm sorry,” Sam answered.
Omoc let out a heavy breath and said, “Then nature succeeded where we
failed.”
“What? You were going to seal the Gate?” Daniel asked, surprised.
“Tollan is a world in cataclysm,” Omoc explained. “Evacuation was
complete. My team stayed to ...” He paused, looking away
for a moment before he continued, “Our final task was to close the
Gate, so that no one could return and be harmed.”
“Well, wherever you were going, we can recalibrate the co-ordinates
from here,” Sam stated.
“The new settlement world is outside the Gate system. We'll need
a ship,” Omoc stated.
That, unfortunately, was not something Earth had available. Sam
and Daniel left the Tollans and went to General Hammond, who summoned
the entire team to a briefing.
“Well, the bottom line here is your survivors have become
refugees. If they don't want to be here, we've got to relocate
them somewhere,” Hammond stated.
“You know, General, we have done some fairly good deeds out
there. Maybe we should try calling in some markers,” Jack
suggested.
“Okay,” Hammond said, liking the idea. “Colonel, you and Teal'c
follow up on that. Maybe go pay a visit to some of our old
friends. Captain Carter, I want you and Doctor Jackson to get the
multi-purpose room on 5C readied as a refugee housing center,” Hammond
ordered.
“Yes, Sir,” Jack acknowledged.
====
“What'd you do last night?” Jack asked early the next morning as he and
Daniel changed into their green BDUs from their civvies.
“I slept.”
“Imagine that,” Jack laughed.
“I was tired,” Daniel admitted. “I didn't get home until one.”
“In the morning?”
The archaeologist nodded and then yawned.
“It's 0700. How much sleep did you get?”
“I got home at one; was asleep by two minutes after,” Daniel answered.
“Five hours?” Jack guessed.
“Five hours and thirty minutes,” Daniel said with a smile, grateful he
lived only twenty minutes away from Cheyenne Mountain. “Teal'c
said something about you teaching him ping pong yesterday.”
“Yeah. I let him win a few games,” Jack stated. “You know:
bolster his confidence.”
“Right,” Daniel replied skeptically as he slipped on his jacket.
“I have to go. Sam and I need to get the refugee center
completely set up this morning.”
“Fraiser said she'd be releasing most of the Tollan today from the
infirmary,” Jack noted.
Nodding, Daniel was yawning as he waved his right hand in goodbye at
the older man and then exited the locker room.
~I'll bet he stops for coffee first,~ Jack mused fondly as he reached
down to tie his bootlaces.
====
With the refugee center in the process of being set up, Daniel and
General Hammond were showing the area to Omoc, who had been released
from the infirmary.
“As an act of good faith, we're returning the devices you were
wearing,” Hammond stated as they walked forward.
“They are not weapons,” Omoc responded.
“That's what our technicians thought,” Hammond replied.
“So you had them tested? Not much of an act of good faith,” the
alien put forth accusingly.
“Well, actually, we couldn't figure out exactly what they were,” Daniel
admitted as he trailed behind the two men, his two hands in front of
him, his fingers occasionally tapping together.
“I want to assure you, we're doing all we can to relocate your people,”
the major general asserted as they came to a stop.
“Are we to have some say in the matter?” Omoc questioned.
“Oh, yes. Self-determination is a concept that's very important
to us,” the archaeologist answered.
“We'll do our best,” Hammond promised. “In the meantime, we'll
make you as comfortable as possible, but I want you to understand,
you're restricted to the immediate premises.”
“Are we prisoners?”
“No, no, absolutely not,” Daniel answered as he now stood at Hammond's
side.
“But you are from an alien environment. It's as much for your
safety as for ours,” Hammond spoke diplomatically.
Looking at Hammond, Omoc asked, “When will the rest of my people be
released to this area?”
“Soon,” Daniel responded. “In the meantime, we hope these
accommodations are okay.”
Omoc stared at Daniel, his unspoken words clear: prisoners have no
choice in their accommodations.
“This will suffice,” the Tollan leader stated and then turned to head
back to the infirmary.
Hammond sighed, “I hope Colonel O'Neill is successful.”
“I think maybe we just need to give them some more time to adjust,”
Daniel offered.
“Son, we've extended about as many olive branches as I know how,”
Hammond stated. He looked down the corridor at the departing Omoc
and added, “There are only so many times this country will extend
friendship just to have it thrown back in our faces.”
“Yes, Sir,” Daniel acknowledged, sighing and looking around the large
room as the major general left.
“Problems?” Sam asked, walking over to her friend.
“Omoc wasn't thrilled that we had the devices checked out.”
“Daniel, I seriously doubt that if the situation were reversed, the
Tollan wouldn't have done the same thing.”
“Maybe,” Daniel acknowledged. Looking around, he asked, “Okay, so
... where are we?”
“I thought we'd ...” Sam began, leading the man to another section of
the room as she explained her idea.
====
“It was strange, Daniel,” Sam spoke a bit later while conferring with
Daniel about the refugees. All of the Tollan had been taken to
the refugee center and were settling in. “I mean, we've seen how
Omoc is, but I wasn't expecting this.”
“What exactly?”
“Omoc has some strange control over the Tollan, or, at least that's how
it seems. I just get the feeling they're inhibited by him
somehow.”
“What gives you that idea?” Daniel questioned.
“Well, I took Narim ...”
“Narim. He's the one who had all those questions ... just for
you,” the archaeologist smirked, knowing exactly which alien he was.
“Yes,” Sam affirmed, ignoring the probing smile on the man's
face. “I was taking him some books and things and, well, we were
just talking. Omoc walked over, and it was almost like a chill
came over the conversation. I got out of there after that.”
“Well, they may be human, but they have their own culture, so ...”
“Yeah,” Sam agreed with a shrug.
====
Jack and Teal'c had returned from making contact with one of their
allies and were headed upstairs to meet with their other teammates and
Hammond to confer. Hammond, however, was still in his office when
the two entered the briefing room.
“We set up a meeting with Tuplo for 0800 tomorrow,” Jack announced that
evening as he walked over to where Daniel was seated and stopped.
“Colonel O'Neill was correct. Many of the worlds we have visited
are eager to be of service,” Teal'c stated.
All of a sudden, Hammond emerged from his office, calling out,
“People! We have a problem.” Reaching the head of the
table, he informed, “Your refugees seemed to have escaped.”
“Escaped?” Sam echoed.
“How did they get past the guards?” Jack questioned.
“You can ask them that when you find them,” Hammond replied.
Quickly, SG-1 headed for the gear-up room to prepare for their search.
====
“They're over here,” one of the search team members shouted about
thirty minutes later, his search dog ahead of him.
“Hold fire,” Jack ordered. ~Okay,~ he thought as he came upon the
refugees, standing calmly together and looking at SG-1 with a
combination of confused and stunned expressions.
Walking towards the colonel, Omoc explained, “We were merely observing
the stars.”
“Well, you're all going to have to come back in now,” Jack responded.
“So we *are* prisoners,” Omoc stated, not needing an answer.
“No, you're not,” Daniel refuted, stepping forward. “It's just
... we have rules.”
“Rules?” Omoc questioned disbelieving the comment.
“Regardless, it's time to go back,” Jack said, nodding in the direction
of the aboveground entrance to the Mountain.
Omoc looked back at his people and then stared again at Jack before
calmly walking forward. The other Tollan began to follow.
Sam and Narim locked eyes once again. The black-haired man nodded
at the blonde, giving her a brief smile before catching up with his
people. Teal'c and the other search team members all followed.
Jack let out a groan and said, “I'm not sure we should send them to the
Land of Light.”
“Jack, they're just ...”
“Rude, Daniel. They're rude, smug, arrogant, and ungrateful,” the
colonel stated, turning around. “We should have left them on
their precious planet,” he said as he began to head back.
Daniel shared a look with Sam before he hurried after the quick-paced
colonel, calling out, “You don't mean that.”
“I don't?” Jack challenged, glancing back as he held onto his MP-5
weapon.
“No, you don't.”
Jack sighed, glancing around the woods, and then said, “Okay, no, I
don't, but they just don't get it.”
“Jack, wouldn't you be pushing the boundaries if it were us on some
planet, being told we weren't prisoners and yet being confined to one
room?”
The colonel stopped, staring at his friend. He glanced back at
Sam, who was following the two.
“Okay. Let's get back.”
“Okay,” Daniel agreed, feeling like he'd gotten through to his friend.
“Okay,” Jack repeated.
“Okay, let's go,” Sam said, chuckling slightly as she pushed in between
the two men and moved ahead of them.
Jack and Daniel shrugged and then returned to the interior of the
Mountain.
====
The next morning, Hammond, Jack, and Sam, all dressed in their dress
blues, discussed the limited information they'd acquired as to how the
Tollan people had managed their 'escape' the night before. So
far, they hadn't had much success, especially since the surveillance
video in the multi-purpose room that housed the refugee center had been
exposed to some sort of interference, essentially knocking it offline
at the precise moment the Tollan had disappeared.
While the technicians were working on the mystery elsewhere, the three
officers joined Daniel and Teal'c in the briefing room, where Tup'lo
and another representative from the planet were waiting.
Graciously, the leader of the Land of Light invited the Tollan to make
their new home on his planet. His speech was warm and welcoming.
Shocking to the Tau'ri, Omoc rudely refused the generous offer, ending
his response to the invitation by rising and stating curtly, “His
planet is unacceptable to us. These people are even more
primitive than you.”
====
“We're sorry about that,” Jack spoke as he walked the Land of the Light
leader to the ramp in the gate room.
“We know you are sincere, Colonel,” Tup'lo responded. “We in the
Land of Light remain your friends and welcome your visits to our world.”
“Thank you,” Jack responded.
Tup'lo nodded at the rest of SG-1 and then returned home.
“That went well,” the colonel said sarcastically as he headed for the
exit.
“Okay, well, who else can we try?” Daniel questioned.
“Daniel, those arrogant ingrates aren't going to like anyone we try to
set them up with,” Jack retorted, frustrated by Omoc's attitude.
“Carter, you have a thing going with that Narim guy ...”
“A thing, Sir?” Sam asked, having been rather taken aback by the
comment.
“He likes you.”
“He ... does?”
“Carter, play coy later. Right now, we need information.
Get it,” Jack ordered as he brushed by his second-in-command and left
the gate room.
When Sam looked at Daniel questioningly, the archaeologist said, “I
think it was the cat.”
“Schrodinger?” Sam asked.
The planet of Tollan hadn't had living animals on it for some time,
and, during their walk topside of Cheyenne Mountain, the sight of the
birds had entranced Narim. One thing had led to another, and, on
another visit with the man, Sam had taken Narim some books to read and
also surprised him by gifting him with a cat she'd named Schrodinger
that she'd gotten from a local animal shelter.
“Daniel, since when is giving someone a cat the same thing as being ...
involved with them?”
Daniel smiled as he stood with his arms folded and replied, “You'll
have to ask Jack that.”
Sam groaned as her friend left the gate room. She looked over at
Teal'c, who simply nodded and then walked away. Taking a quick
look at the Stargate, the blonde shook her head quickly a couple of
times, as if trying to wake from a bad dream, and then headed back for
her lab.
====
That night, Jack sat up on his roof deck, looking through his telescope
at the stars. It was peaceful. Stargazing was one of the
few things that always brought peace to his soul. Yet, he was
restless and stood up, walking around the small deck. Finally, he
rubbed the back of his neck as he came to a realization, not that it
was a new one, but it was the one that explained his mood on this night.
Shaking his head, Jack put away his telescope and went downstairs,
finally stopping at the bookshelf. He sighed, seeing several
books belonging to Daniel, and that was the problem.
Daniel's books were at the country home, but Daniel was not.
~Blast it, Daniel. I'm in love with you, and it's killing
me. Crap, it's lonely around here when you're not here.~
Jack paused, thinking, ~I can't barge in on you every night.
Heaven knows I want to, though.~
Jack headed upstairs and turned on his portable stereo, flipping on the
cassette tape of one of his favorite operas. Plopping down on the
bed, he stared up at the ceiling, hoping to forget his
loneliness. He wanted to tune out how empty his heart felt
without his best friend, the man he also loved.
It was a lonely, music-filled night for the military man.
====
In another part of town, Daniel was listening to a rock music station
while reading a couple of archaeology publications. Off and on,
he stood up to stretch, sometimes pausing to study one of the artifacts
that adorned his apartment. He would reflect back on the
treasure's acquisition and what he'd learned from that particular
experience.
Though the young man wasn't really that hungry, he found himself
munching on popcorn as he read.
~Popcorn while I'm reading? Okay, that's a first, so, uh, why am
I doing this? I mean, I don't normally eat buttery popcorn while
I'm reading. That's something Jack would do.~
Daniel shrugged and continued reading, though he found the rock music
suddenly distracting. Going to his stereo, he adjusted the tuner
until he came to a public radio station that was playing opera. A
peace flowed through him.
~Wonder why I enjoy opera so much now?~
The scientist returned to the sofa, settling down, but after reading
another article, he realized he was restless. He looked at his
watch and suddenly realized why.
~Gawd, Jackson. The man has a life. He doesn't need to
baby-sit you every night, for crying out loud.~
Unable to cure his uneasy state, Daniel left everything where it was
and went to bed. He let the sounds of the opera filter through
the air of his home and sighed.
~I'd even watch another hockey game,~ Daniel sighed, rolling over to
his side.
It was a lonely, music-filled night for the archaeologist.
====
The next day, Jack was headed down an empty corridor of the SGC.
His mind drifted a bit, and he began to hum.
Unaware the colonel was nearby, Daniel exited one of the labs where a
member of his staff was working on a project. He walked briskly
down the corridor, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed, his
mind still running over various alternatives that might be more
appropriate for the staffer's project. Suddenly, he heard the
humming, and his head shot upright, an air of familiarity surrounding
the musical interlude.
“Hey,” Daniel called out.
“I was just coming to see you,” Jack spoke.
“Oh. Uh, you were humming.”
“Humming?”
“Yes, humming.”
“No, I wasn't,” Jack insisted.
“Yes, you were,” Daniel maintained.
“No.”
“Oh, yes,” the younger man continued to assert.
“No.”
“Yes, you were -- 'La Clemenza Di Tito'; 'Titus', in Act 1,” Daniel
said, pointing out not only the name of the opera, but the character
who sang it and when.
Jack cocked his head slightly as he stared at his friend. He knew
the archaeologist had begun listening to opera sometimes when they'd
spent their downtimes together, but they'd never listened to this
one. He was sure of it. That meant Daniel had heard this on
his own somewhere along the line.
“Daniel, how do you know that?” Jack asked curiously.
“Oh, uh, well, I ... I guess I was listening to it ... last night ...
on the radio.”
With wide eyes, the older man replied, “How about that. I was
listening to it, too, but I have the cassette.”
“Oh. I understand a lot of people don't believe it was one of
Mozart's best,” the younger man stated.
“There are those,” Jack acknowledged as the elevator doors opened.
The two men walked into the elevator, turning around to face the
front. As the doors closed, they remained silent for a couple of
floors.
“You listen to opera in that museum of yours?” the colonel asked,
turning his head to look at his friend.
“Sometimes,” Daniel answered. “And it's not a museum; it's my
apartment.”
“Could've fooled me,” Jack teased. Then he broke into a grin and
began to face the front again. For some reason, he felt proud and
happy about the revelation. Actually, he knew why. Daniel
had taken interest in something that was one of his passions. It
meant a lot to know he was genuinely enjoying opera and not just
tolerating it as a part of their friendship. “Any news on the
Tollan front?” he asked, knowing that they still had some serious
business to handle at the SGC.
“Cold and chilly?” Daniel quipped just as the elevator doors opened.
“Good one,” Jack said as the two headed for Daniel's office.
“Fill me in.”
As they entered the archaeologist's office a minute or so later, Daniel
had just surprised the colonel with the latest information he'd gotten
from Sam earlier that morning.
“What?” Jack questioned.
“Apparently, the people on this planet, Sarita, were about like us in
their technological advancement. That didn't worry the Tollan at
first. They thought that was enough,” Daniel stated as he leaned
against one of his bookshelves with his arms folded across his chest,
“Jack, they gave those people a device to produce unlimited productive
energy.”
“I take it that's not what they used it for?”
Shaking his head, the archaeologist sighed, “And I can see it happening
here, as much as I wish we could say it wouldn't. The Saritans
used the energy device as a weapon of war. They destroyed their
world in one day, *and*, worse for the Tollan, that's what set about
the changes on their planet.”
“The volcano?” Jack asked.
“That was the last event, but it had started with other things before,
with weather changes and ... well, the point is, their planet's orbit
was altered, and that altered the planet. Now ...”
“Now it's a resort ... for anyone who can breathe in two-hundred-degree
heat without swallowing a mouthful of ash.”
“More or less,” Daniel affirmed. “Uh, by the way, according to
Narim, Omoc was telling the truth last night.”
“Not escaping?”
Daniel let out a tiny chuckle and said, “I have a feeling we couldn't
stop them if they really tried, but, uh, no. They were
calibrating the distance between Earth and their new home world.
I guess it's ... far ... far away.”
“That ship we don't have?” Jack questioned, having heard about Omoc's
request for a ship from two days prior when he'd been talking with Sam
and Daniel.
“If they'd tell us more, I think we could probably help them.”
“Put Carter on it.”
“Jack ...”
“It worked the first time. She's between boyfriends,” Jack said
nonchalantly.
“Jack ...”
“Okay, let's go see what we can find out ourselves,” Jack suggested,
getting up from his desk.
“You just don't want to finish reading my report,” Daniel teased just
as Jack reached him.
“Report?”
“The one that's been sitting on your desk for the last two days,” the
archaeologist reminded.
“Oh *that* report,” Jack responded innocently. “Sure, I do.
It's ... fascinating,” he claimed a bit insincerely.
“What's it about?” Daniel challenged as he turned and followed his
friend out of the office.
Waving his right hand in front of him, the colonel answered, “It's
about ... um ... I'll read it later.”
Daniel shook his head, bowing it for a moment to hide his smile, as the
two men headed for the refugee center.
====
Jack walked into the area where the Tollan were, Daniel just a step
behind. He saw Sam and Teal'c over to one side, standing in front
of some of the other aliens, and headed over to join them.
Approaching Omoc, Jack brought his hands together in a mock clap and
spoke, “So, not a real escape?”
“Our escape was a test,” Omoc responded as he passed Jack, giving him
just a quick look. As he continued talking, his back was to
SG-1. “You did exactly what I knew you would do. You used
threat and force to solve your problem.”
“You didn't give us any other choice,” Sam pointed out.
“You could have come for us unarmed,” the alien countered.
“Hey!” Jack exclaimed, taking offense at the charge. “You haven't
exactly behaved like someone I want to trust. I'm not going to
put my team at risk.”
“And I will not risk,” Omoc turned and began to walk towards Jack,
“*my* people in your care,” he concluded, pointing sharply at Jack,
showing more emotion than he had since he'd been on Earth.
~Okay, let's not start a war here,~ Jack thought. “Look ...
Omoc,” he began, drawing out a long breath. “If you're so
advanced, why don't you let *your* people decide for themselves?”
“Narim, this is a free country,” Sam stated, looking at the man as he
now stood just a foot or so to Omoc's right. Omoc was being a bit
closed minded, and she was hoping the other Tollan might stand up to
him, or break away from his domineering control. “Every year we
take in thousands of refugees fleeing repression. If you request
asylum, you can stay here no matter what Omoc wants.”
“You don't care anything about Narim's rights,” Omoc accused.
“You only want our technology, nothing more,” he spat, turning around
and walking away.
Fed up with the Tollan's arrogance, Jack confronted the alien about how
they got out of the refugee center in the first place, his snarky tone
evident to everyone within hearing range.
Naturally, Omoc's attitude only worsened in response, ending up by
essentially threatening, “You don't need to know how; only that we did,
and we can do it again anytime we need to.”
Jack's smirk was unmistakable. As Daniel wondered how he could
stop this one-on-one war from escalating, an airman came to the rescue,
explaining that General Hammond wanted to meet with the team right away.
~Lucky for you,~ Jack thought as he immediately left the room, followed
by Sam, Teal'c, and Daniel.
As the team walked to the control room, Jack griped, “Daniel, I've
changed my mind. Maybe we should just send them back to Tollan;
see how far they get there with their advanced technology.”
“Jack, he's trying to protect us,” Daniel reminded.
“From ourselves? We can do that,” Jack argued. He left out
a pfft, rifling his tongue against his lip, and then he sighed, “Okay,
*maybe* he has a point, but he doesn't have to be so smug about
everything.”
“If your world faced destruction, would you not feel as Omoc does,
O'Neill?” Teal'c put forth.
Jack stared at the Jaffa and then let out a groan, after which he
answered, “Maybe. But I'd be a little nicer about it,
*especially* if I saved my life.” He stopped, looking back at his
teammates for a moment. “You know what I mean.”
“I do,” Daniel said as the group continued on. “That's what
worries me.”
====
In the control room, Hammond and SG-1 watched the augmented
surveillance video from the multi-purpose room and some of the
corridors. They were stunned to see that the Tollan had simply
passed through the walls.
“Whoa! Cool!” Jack exclaimed as he watched the aliens walk easily
through the thick wall of the multi-purpose room.
“But *totally* impossible,” Daniel responded.
“Well, only from the perspective of our limited science, apparently,”
Sam pointed out.
“We have similar video of them passing through an elevator door and a
wall, on ground level,” Sergeant Davis noted.
“This is knowledge far beyond that of the Goa'uld,” Teal'c stated.
“That's exactly what the President and Joint Chiefs want to hear,” a
strange voice called out, the man having entered the room with two
other men standing near him.
Hammond and SG-1 turned around to see who had just entered the control
room.
“Colonel Maybourne, Sir. NID,” the man introduced while saluting
Hammond.
“Intelligence?” Jack questioned in surprise. “What happened to
Kennedy?”
“Promoted. I took his place.”
“Promoted? Talk about failing upwards,” Jack quipped.
“Colonel O'Neill, I read about your conflict with Colonel Kennedy in
his report. I assure you, such an attitude will not prevail with
me, in either direction,” Maybourne spoke authoritatively while looking
Jack straight in the eye.
“I sense that,” Jack smirked. ~Like I care.~
“Good.”
“Would you mind telling me exactly why you're here, Colonel,” Hammond
requested.
“You didn't get my advance?” the man inquired. After a minute, he
suggested, “I suggest we discuss this in your briefing room.”
Hammond nodded, saying, “This way,” as he led the way out of the
control room.
“He's gonna be a lot of fun,” Jack retorted in a quieted voice to the
archaeologist.
“Give him a chance, Jack.”
“We'll see,” Jack said, following his team to the briefing room, where
they all sat down, except for Maybourne.
The NID agent took out some papers and placed them in front of the
major general, saying, “That's an order releasing the Tollans to our
section. You're to be congratulated, General; the Stargate
program is finally paying off. This was ... quite a coup.”
“Excuse me? These are people we're talking about,” Daniel
replied. ~Okay, Jack was right.~
“These people do have rights, you know,” Jack stated.
“Do they? Under what nation's jurisdiction?” Maybourne asked.
Angry, Daniel spat, “How about basic human rights?”
“I can't release them to you,” Hammond interjected.
“I beg your pardon,” the NID colonel spoke in surprise.
Thinking fast and relying on the fact that self-preservation would win
out, Hammond used the ruse that the Tollan had yet to pass through
quarantine to keep control of them for the time being. He knew
he'd bought his flagship team just a day at the most to try and find a
solution to their latest problem. After that, his hands would be
tied, and the NID would be allowed to take 'control' of the Tollan
refugees.
====
“Any progress?” Jack asked when Sam entered Daniel's office a bit
later, having just spoken with Narim.
The colonel was standing next to the archaeologist, with Teal'c
standing in front of the worktable.
“I think he might have asked for asylum. I got the impression
that some of the others would have, too, but not now that they know
what might happen to them,” Sam stated as she walked over to stand
beside the Jaffa.
“Maybourne: I'd like to throw that toad back to the swamp,” Jack
groused.
Nodding, Sam continued, “Narim's afraid that Omoc is right; that any
knowledge they shared would be used for warfare.”
“I wish I could argue with him,” Daniel stated from his seated position.
“What about relocation?” Jack questioned.
Shaking her head, Sam answered, “They're concerned that any planet we'd
send them to would be ...”
“Primitive,” Jack and Daniel spoke in unison.
“Yes,” Sam affirmed.
“I really think Narim would have asked for asylum,” Sam stated quietly.
“Sorry to interfere with your love life,” Jack quipped, surprising
everyone. “Sorry, Carter, but we're running out of time. I
may not like those people, but I wouldn't wish being lab rats on
anyone.” He banged his hands on the desktop and said, “Come
on. We have a briefing to get to.”
====
“I just hung up from talking to the President,” Hammond announced as he
entered the briefing room where SG-1, seated, and the NID agent,
standing, were waiting.
Upon seeing the general enter, Jack and Sam stood, while Daniel and
Teal'c remained seated on the opposite side of the conference table,
the one by the window overlooking the Stargate.
“I guess Mister Maybourne has been talking to him recently,” Hammond
spoke with regret, his emphasis on the Maybourne name spoken as if he
were saying a swear word.
“I did tell you I had his ear, General,” Maybourne replied smugly.
“Colonel Maybourne has full authorization to relocate the Tollans
immediately,” the major general reported.
“Of course he does,” Jack sighed in frustration as Sam looked down and
Daniel stood, walking over to stand by the window that overlooked the
Stargate.
~Chance? Was I the one who asked Jack to give this man a chance?~
Daniel thought as he sat on the railing of the wall.
“To where will you take them?” Teal'c inquired.
“To a secure community here in the Rockies,” Maybourne answered.
An unhappy Daniel turned to Maybourne, his disgust obvious.
“Nice little community with high walls, guards, maybe a little barbed
wire,” Jack spoke sarcastically.
“They're a valuable asset,” Maybourne stated. “They need to be
protected.”
“Nice: forced, intellectual labor,” the archaeologist spoke dryly.
“And life imprisonment,” Sam added.
“These aliens will live a better life than most Americans.
They'll have a great view, the best food, every convenience, everything
they need,” Maybourne put forth passionately.
“Everything *except* a life,” Jack refuted.
“You know ... the Pentagon, Intelligence, that I can understand, but
the President? I voted for him!” Daniel spat in disgust, snapping
his fingers as he stood and again faced the Stargate.
“Colonel, have the Tollans ready for transport at 0600 tomorrow,”
Maybourne ordered as he and his men left the room.
General Hammond let out a sigh as he looked at his flagship team.
He started to speak, but nothing came out. There really wasn't
anything he could say that would help or change anything. They
were in a jam, and there was no light in sight.
“General ...” Daniel began, turning around to face a man he truly
respected.
Shaking his head, the bald-headed man spoke, “I'm sorry; we're out of
options,” and then he turned and returned to his office.
“Suggestions?” Jack asked his team as he slid back down onto his
chair. Silence filled the room. “Is that a pin dropping?”
“Do you wish to mutiny, O'Neill?” Teal'c inquired.
Jack stared at the tall, dark man with incredulous eyes and then
answered, “I do, but we can't. Let's tackle this one step at a
time. What do we know?”
“The NID wish to enslave the Tollan,” Teal'c stated, looking at Sam as
she, too, sat down at the table.
“There's that,” Jack acknowledged.
“The Tollan have rejected every candidate we've offered them for a new
home,” Sam stated.
“Wait! Wait!” Daniel exclaimed, holding his right hand up, one
finger extended. “*Why* have the Tollan rejected those places?”
“Saccharine,” Jack answered. Seeing the funny looks from the
others, he clarified, “Too sweet.”
“Uh, not exactly what I was trying to get at,” Daniel responded.
“They're primitive,” Sam interjected.
“That is what the Tollan claim the Tau'ri are,” the Jaffa added.
“I'm really beginning to hate that word,” Jack sighed.
“Exactly. So, don't you see? The answer is obvious,” Daniel
stated excitedly. His eyes darted around the room at his three,
still clueless teammates. “We find them a place to stay with a
civilization that's not ... primitive.”
“Like ... who?”
Daniel smiled and said eagerly, “Come with me,” as he headed out of the
briefing room and hurriedly towards his office. “I want to review
one of our mission reports.”
“What? Daniel, why?” Jack asked.
“Because it might give us a way to save the Tollan ... I hope,” Daniel
said, turning down the corridor. “And I think I know how we can
make it happen, too -- Colonel.”
“Sometimes that man really confuses me,” Jack spoke as he lagged behind
for a moment.
“Just sometimes?” Sam teased, smiling as she passed the colonel.
~She has a point,~ Jack thought as he sprinted forward a few steps to
catch up with the rest of SG-1.
====
A while later, responding to a written note from Jack to come topside
to meet with SG-1, the major general emerged from the Mountain exit and
approached his number one team, asking, “Okay, Colonel, want to tell me
why I'm here?”
“Because Maybourne isn't, Sir,” Jack answered.
SG-1 went on to explain that they wanted to ensure that their alien
visitors were able to escape. Though supportive, Hammond pointed
out that they would all be court-martialed for any attempt they made.
“General, I'm about a hair away from not caring,” Jack admitted.
“However, Daniel ...” he trailed off, looking at his friend.
“I can't be court-martialed, Sir,” the archaeologist pointed out.
Hammond stared at the young man thoughtfully for a moment and then
affirmed, “No, Son, you can't. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, first, we need to get the Tollan to trust us.”
“And that won't be easy,” Sam interjected.
“But if anyone can do it, it's Daniel,” Jack put forth, nodding at the
younger man.
“I think I can do it,” Daniel asserted. “The Tollan have their
own system of government. It can't be that hard to make Omoc
understand that what's happening isn't us, but another division of our
government.”
“We don't have a lot of time. Maybourne is insisting on leaving
at 0600,” Hammond reminded.
“We can get it done,” Daniel spoke confidently.
After hearing the plan in full, Hammond sighed, nodded, and said,
“Unofficially, SG-1, you have a 'go'.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Jack stated, adding with a bit of a smile,
“Unofficially.”
Hammond turned around to go back inside the Mountain.
“Daniel ...” Jack began.
“I know. Don't mess up,” the archaeologist stated as he headed
for the facility entrance.
“Actually, I was gonna say, 'good luck',” Jack called out.
“Oh, uh, thanks,” Daniel said, smiling as he disappeared inside the
entrance to the Mountain.
Jack looked upward, seeing the sun was about to set. That was
good. It meant if Omoc agreed to the plan, the next step could
proceed under the cover of nightfall, with less chance of being caught.
====
Daniel's attempt to convince Omoc to trust him wasn't going very
well. The man was already angered from a visit with Maybourne,
who had wanted them to take some tests. Thus, he wasn't being
receptive to the archaeologist's arguments; that is, until he made an
impassioned plea.
“Listen, there was a planet we went to where people were as advanced as
you, maybe even more advanced. They were called the Nox,” the
archaeologist stated.
“If you went there, why can't we?” Omoc inquired.
“Well ... because ... they felt about us ... kinda like you do.
They ... called us very young, which I suppose is a hair more polite
than calling us primitive, but, same idea. Anyway, they sealed
their Stargate, and I don't know how to communicate with them to get it
open.”
“Do you know where this planet is?”
“Yes, I have the coordinates right here,” Daniel stated, pulling out a
small notebook from his jacket pocket.
“Then we must go back to the mountaintop.”
Daniel convinced Omoc that he had to go topside with them, something
that appeared to surprise Narim. Taking Daniel's hand, the alien
used the device on his arm to allow both of them to walk through the
necessary walls as they made their way outside.
====
“Do you think he's making any headway?” Sam asked as the three
remaining SG-1 members waited in her lab, trying to stay out of
Maybourne's sight.
“Daniel can talk his way through ... a mountain,” Jack smirked
confidently.
“I hope so,” Sam sighed. Seeing Jack's sappy, accusatorial
expression, she added, “And it has nothing to do with Narim, Sir.”
“Of course it doesn't ... Captain,” Jack said, trying not to laugh,
much to Sam's chagrin.
====
Daniel and Omoc walked through the woods of Cheyenne Mountain under a
star-clad night sky until they were in what Omoc perceived to be a
useable location.
“The coordinates,” the alien requested.
The archaeologist took out his notebook, opened it, and handed it to
Omoc. The alien studied it for a moment and then removed a device
from his upper sleeve. He knelt down on one knee and placed the
object on the ground.
Daniel, meanwhile, sat down on the ground, leaning a bit to his left,
his left hand, palm flat on the ground.
A moment later, Omoc switched on the device, and a beam of light shot
upward into the sky. A second afterwards, a blast of light
disappeared up, into the sky.
“Listen, I'm no astronomer, but won't that take thousands of years to
reach the Nox world?” Daniel asked curiously.
“Why would it?”
“Well, that's just a laser, right? I mean ... light takes a long
time to travel that far,” Daniel pointed out.
Omoc studied Daniel for a moment; then looked upward. He looked
back down and saw a thin, but fairly long twig on the ground.
Picking up the tree remnant, the alien attempted to explain by saying,
“The distance between these two points,” he looked to both ends of the
twig, “seems far. Until you do this.”
Seeing Omoc bend the branch to join the two ends together, Daniel
excitedly stated, “Okay ... okay, I remember this from college
physics. One of our scientists, Einstein, explained this the same
way. You are talking about actually folding space.”
Disappointed, Omoc answered, “No. You wouldn't understand.”
Even more disappointed, Daniel agreed, “No, I guess not.” A bit
more upbeat, he added, “I just hope the Nox do.”
The two looked up at the stars for a minute, and then Omoc replied, “If
they are as advanced as you say, they will get the message.”
“Is this ... sending them a message?” Daniel asked curiously.
“It will say what it needs to.”
“And, uh, how will we know when it's received?” the archaeologist
questioned.
“We will see a message,” Omoc answered, looking at the other man.
“You are a most curious human being.”
“I ... yes,” Daniel confirmed.
“Helping us will not go over well with your government,” Omoc assumed.
“No,” Daniel said. “No, it won't, but, uh ... that's okay.
I'm not military. There really isn't a lot they can do to
me.” After a minute, he stated, “Omoc, when you get to your new
home, I hope you'll consider making contact with us.”
“I have already explained why ...”
“No, please,” Daniel interrupted, holding up one hand. “I just
meant, whether or not you consider us allies, maybe you could just ...
keep the door open.”
Omoc stared at the archaeologist, studying him closely. To
Daniel, he felt like he was under a microscope, being evaluated in a
multitude ways. He was relieved when a light beam from the sky
seemed to connect with the alien object.
“What, uh ... what now?”
“Look up,” Omoc instructed, looking upward himself and seeing another
blast of laser light seemingly burst into the object and then
stop. The alien picked up the device, pressed a button, and then
studied it. “The Nox will come soon.”
“How do you know?” Daniel asked. Seeing the other man's
reproachful stare, he said, “Never mind.” He stood up and
inquired, “When?”
“Soon. We must prepare to leave,” Omoc said as the two headed
back for the Mountain entrance.
====
As the night crawled onward, Daniel hurried into the control
room. He was surprised to see Sam and Narim kissing there.
“Whoops! Uh ... sorry. I gotta do some stuff in here,” the
archaeologist stated, his notebook with the coordinates in his right
hand. Looking at Sam unabashedly, he added, “Actually, I need
your help,” and then turned away and headed for the main console where
the technician operating the Stargate normally sat.
“You should probably get going. Don't forget Schrodinger,” Sam
stated.
Narim smiled and gently touched the blonde's cheek as he spoke a
heartfelt, “Thank you,” before walking out of the control room.
A bit saddened, Sam took a breath and then joined Daniel by the monitor.
“New boyfriend?”
“Daniel, I'll probably never see him again,” Sam spoke. Smiling,
she said, “But it makes it easier after ... you know.”
Daniel nodded, understanding that Sam was referring to her previous
boyfriend. They'd had a big fight the month before, and Sam had
finally called it quits a couple of weeks ago.
“So, do you think we can really do this?” Daniel asked.
“Piece of cake,” Sam answered as she swung her chair around.
As Daniel moved to his right, giving Sam access to the main computer,
the captain logged in and began her task.
“We can't take a chance on Maybourne seeing anything happening in the
gate room,” Daniel reminded.
“I've got that covered,” Sam said as she typed away on the
keyboard. “Daniel, are you sure the Nox will come when Omoc said?”
Daniel shrugged, saying, “I hope so.”
“Yeah, me, too. Maybe I can plug in a safety ...” Sam
muttered. “Yeah, I think that's a better way,” she said, changing
slightly her plan on what would activate the blast doors that would
seal off the control room from the gate room, successfully blocking
visibility to the Stargate.
“You know, I should probably be doing that,” Daniel said.
“Nothing personal, Daniel, but it's faster if I do it, and the
technician should be back from his dinner break soon.” Sam
glanced at her friend and smiled. “We're a team.”
“But you can be court-martialed.”
“Hmmm ... well, we can say you hacked my access codes,” Sam stated with
a grin.
“Hacked?” Daniel asked with wide eyes. “I like that,” he said,
smiling as his friend finished up her work.
“Okay, let's get out of here.”
====
Thirty minutes later, Jack entered Daniel's office and called out,
“Showtime!” Walking up to the other man's desk, he expounded,
“Teal'c's waiting for you outside the refugee center, and Carter's
headed for the control room.”
“What's she going to tell Sergeant Davis?”
“Technobabble,” Jack said with a shrug.
Putting down his pen, Daniel glanced at his watch, stood, and said,
“See you there.”
“Good luck,” the colonel called out as Daniel headed for the refugee
center.
====
Teal'c followed Daniel into the refugee center, where Omoc walked
towards them.
“We're ready,” the archaeologist announced.
Omoc stared at Daniel, as if studying him again. He nodded and
motioned for his people to follow.
====
Meanwhile, Jack walked nonchalantly into the control room, leaning back
against a wall. There really weren't a lot of places to hide out
in that area, so he decided it was better not to try and that he'd just
say he was waiting for Hammond's meeting with Maybourne to end, should
anyone question him about his presence there.
Sam looked back, quickly acknowledging her commanding officer's
presence.
“This shouldn't take long, Sergeant,” Sam put forth about her task.
Sergeant Davis nodded. He was used to Sam being in the control
room. Not only was she a higher rank, but he was also well aware
that she was the computer guru of the SGC. He'd never question
her about anything she was doing in the control room at any time.
“Captain ...” Davis called out suddenly, having just become aware of
the Stargate activating.
“I'm on it,” Sam said, covertly removing the safety and activating her
preset program.
“Captain, the doors are closing.”
“What's going on?” Sam asked placing the right amount of confusion in
her voice. ~Never knew being an actress would be part of this job.~
====
Upstairs, in the major general's office, Hammond and Maybourne had just
been informed by an airman that the Tollan had again disappeared.
They'd been discussing the plans for the next morning when Maybourne
was planning to take the Tollan out of the SGC.
To his credit, the major general played his angry and clueless role
well, acting surprised about the unfolding events.
“Attention, all personnel. Off-world activation. Unknown
source,” a voice sounded out over the speaker system of the SGC.
The group quickly headed down the stairs to the control room.
Seeing them, Jack moved forward, taking a position next to Davis and
feigning concern.
“The mainframe's having a nervous breakdown,” Sergeant Davis
informed. “Now the iris is failing.”
“Why is the blast door down? Get it up,” Hammond ordered.
When the blast door rose, Daniel, Teal'c, and the Tollan were standing
in the gate room.
Maybourne was infuriated and eventually called over the public address
system to Daniel that he could be court-martialed for what he was doing.
~Doesn't he know his own rule book?~ Daniel chuckled inwardly as he
placed his hand to ear, as if straining to hear the upset NID agent,
before turning back to face the Stargate.
Pleased with the way events that were playing out, Jack responded,
“He's not in the military, Colonel, and I think it'd be kind of tough
to find a civilian law to cover this.”
Undaunted, Maybourne again spoke through the microphone, threatening,
“I'll have you removed from this program forever, if you do this.”
~I don't think you're that powerful, Maybourne,~ Jack thought.
~Daniel is the one responsible for opening the Stargate in the first
place. No one is going to kick him out of anywhere.~
As the final chevron locked, Maybourne's fury was at its height.
He threatened to hunt the Tollan down, no matter where they were sent.
“We're not sending them anywhere, Sir. The Gate was activated
off-world. Someone is sending *for* them,” Sam pointed out.
“Who?” the irate visiting colonel asked.
Just then, Lya of the Nox walked through the Stargate, smiling as the
Stargate shut down.
“Hello,” the Nox woman greeted warmly.
Daniel eagerly walked up the ramp and welcomed, “Hello, Lya.”
The reunion was interrupted by Maybourne's ire as he spoke into the
microphone, “All personnel in the gate room. This is Colonel
Maybourne. I have a Presidential Order to take the aliens with
me. Do not let them pass. Use force, if necessary.”
Lya looked at Daniel and stated sadly, “Your race has learned nothing.”
Daniel looked at the woman, unable to deny her words, though he wished
he could.
More lightly, Lya praised, “But you have.” Looking over at Omoc
and the others, she said, “The Tollans are most welcome to join the
Nox. Please come.”
Omoc walked up the ramp, stopping at Daniel's side, and stated, “Narim
was right about you. Perhaps in time we'll meet again.”
The alien put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, staring at him for several
seconds in an acknowledgement of what he'd done for the Tollan.
~Thank you~ Daniel thought to himself, not needing more than the open
mind he'd just been presented with by the Tollan leader.
With Maybourne still ranting orders and threats, Lya shook her head at
the primitive response. Then she closed her eyes and raised her
arms in a wide, upward, swinging motion, opening the Stargate.
“Come,” the woman invited the Tollan people, making them disappear so
that they couldn't be fired upon.
As Maybourne ordered the Special Forces personnel to open fire, their
weapons disappeared, thanks to the Nox ability to make things
disappear, as well as people.
Lya looked at Daniel one last time; then closed her eyes, walking
backward through the open Stargate, which shut down a moment later.
“Gawd, I love those people,” Jack said happily from the control
room. He looked to his right and saw Maybourne glaring at
him. ~Man, he's angry,~ he observed as the other colonel and his
men exited the area.
Hammond looked at Jack and then headed for the gate room. Sam got
up and hurried after them.
“You did good, Daniel,” Jack called out in praise, going part way up
the ramp.
“What of Maybourne?” the Jaffa inquired as he stood on Daniel's left.
“Oh, he's not a happy camper,” Sam reported cheerfully.
“There'll be hell to pay when he gets back to Washington,” Hammond
stated from his position on the ramp, just behind Jack.
~He sure is lost in thought,~ Jack observed as he walked so that he was
at his friend's side. “What?”
“Oh, just thinking what the little guy with funny hair once told us,”
Daniel stated.
“'The very young do not always do as they're told,'” Jack responded.
Turning to the colonel, Daniel smiled and affirmed, “Yeah.”
For a moment, the four members of SG-1 stood in line, watching the
Stargate.
“Okay, People, back to work,” Hammond ordered.
“Work?” Jack questioned.
Hammond chuckled, “Captain, make sure the computer systems are running
normally before you leave. I'll need your reports ...” He
saw the stares of the four teammates, all curious if they were about to
spend the night at the SGC. “Monday will be fine,” he completed,
knowing the team was scheduled for a four-day downtime.
“Thank you, Sir,” Jack expressed happily.
Sam and Teal'c nodded to their other teammates and walked down the
ramp, eager to finish up their obligations and get to their downtime.
Jack and Daniel remained behind, still standing in the same spot on the
ramp.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked.
“Yeah. I think we finally ... connected, a little bit,” Daniel
stated.
“Speaking of connecting, I know a hockey stick destined for a puck,”
Jack said eagerly about their plans to take in a hockey game that night.
“Isn't hockey season over with yet?” the archaeologist asked as the two
men finally walked down the ramp and headed for the gate room exit.
“Daniel, you know full well it's the playoffs. Tonight the
Avalanche are going to bury the Blackhawks, and, tomorrow, it's the
Rangers and the Panthers. I'm betting on Gretzky.”
“Jack, the game has to be over.”
“We're in that miracle age of the VCR, remember? The game will be
waiting for us.”
“Let me know how it turns out,” Daniel said, feigning a yawn.
Putting his arm around his friend's shoulders as they walked, Jack
said, “You'll be right there in front of the television with me,
Dannyboy. Just you, me, pizza, popcorn, beer, and two great
hockey teams.”
“A little crowded, don't you think?” Daniel said as he slid his card
into the elevator call slot.
The elevator doors opened immediately.
Jack patted his friend on the back as he lowered his arm and replied,
“Sounds perfect to me.”
The two friends stepped inside the elevator and turned around to face
the front.
As the doors closed, Daniel said, “You know what, Jack?”
“What?”
“It sounds perfect to me, too.”
Jack smiled and nodded, certain that he and Daniel would have a
wonderful weekend together. He smiled even more so, knowing that
Daniel was thinking the same thing. Nothing would be lonely about
this night, or any other that the two friends spent together.
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